Former Vanderpump Rules Producer Patrick McDonald Says Lisa Vanderpump Tried to Silence Him After Exposing Production Abuse!
Former Vanderpump Rules producer Patrick McDonald is pulling back the curtain on his time behind the scenes of Bravo’s most popular franchises, including an unsettling call with Lisa Vanderpump and the moment he felt Rachel Leviss was thrown to the wolves.
Appearing on the Just B with Bethenny podcast, Patrick shared candid insights about the darker side of producing reality TV. Having worked on several of Bravo’s marquee shows, including The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Atlanta, and Potomac, Patrick said his decision to speak out stems from a desire to advocate for crew members who are often overlooked.
Recalling the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion, Patrick described the emotional toll of escorting Rachel Leviss into what he likened to a “firing squad.”
The reunion, which addressed her headline-making affair with Tom Sandoval, was widely viewed as one of the most explosive in franchise history.
“It felt like I was walking her into a firing squad … like we were walking the green mile to her execution,” he said. “And then watching her get just destroyed for, look, making a mistake … I’m sorry, but to be called subhuman and to be told that you should be f**ked by a cheese grater on national television, I think is pretty unacceptable and disgusting.”
Patrick, who says he was quietly let go after launching an OnlyFans account, argued that his work in adult entertainment is less invasive than reality television.
“Reality TV is far more invasive than adult entertainment, and I’m having sex with people [on OnlyFans],” he noted. “That is much less invasive to me than some of the things that I have been behind the camera for, filming for these shows.”
Adding to the tension, Patrick revealed that he received an unexpected phone call from Lisa Vanderpump after publicly calling out production practices.
“Over the weekend … I got a call from Lisa,” he said. “In my opinion she was calling to manipulate me [and] extract information from me to see what I was going to do next. To get me to name specific names and to discourage me from speaking out on this.”
According to Patrick, Lisa tried to leverage their past working relationship to get details that might benefit others involved with the show.
“Unfortunately I think she was trying to exploit my good relationship with her and take advantage of [it] to get information from me on behalf of someone either at the production company or the network,” he claimed. “I know she’s very close with people at the top of the production company and people at the top of the network.”
While he acknowledged the conversation was framed as a friendly check-in, Patrick said it ultimately left him feeling “hurt.”
“I knew exactly what she was doing,” he said. “My intention is to bring about change for the hard-working crews that are mistreated.” Despite the alleged pressure, Patrick maintained that he “didn’t take the bait” and refused to name individuals who may have contributed to toxic work conditions.
As the Bravo universe continues to face increased scrutiny over behind-the-scenes practices, Patrick’s candid revelations are adding fuel to the conversation around reality TV ethics and cast and crew welfare.
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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.
